Authorities in Venezuela say three young Venezuelan-Canadian brothers who were kidnapped more than a month ago have been found shot to death.

Venezuelan Justice Minister Jesse Chacon said the bodies of Jason, Kevin, and John Bryan Faddoul - aged 12, 13 and 17 - were found about 30 kilometers from the capital, Caracas. Police officials said the boys and their driver, whose body was found with them, were shot to death through the head and neck.

Chacon expressed deep regret for the crime and said all of Venezuela mourns with the boys' family.

The boys were abducted February 23 in Caracas when unidentified men dressed as police officers stopped their vehicle on the way to school. The kidnappers demanded more than $4 million in ransom, which the family was unable to gather.

After the discovery of the bodies, students at the boys' school began staging demonstrations mourning the deaths and calling for better security.

The boys had dual citizenship in Canada and Venezuela.